Student Neutrality Front Calls for Palestine Solidarity Walkout on October 16th
SNF Banner at National March For Palestine. Source: Student Neutrality Front
The Student Neutrality Front, a recently formed political action group made up of members from a number of Irish third level institutions, has called for students across the country to leave class at 1pm on Thursday, October 16th alongside trade unionists and other workers in solidarity with Palestine.
The Chapel Times spoke with a coordinator for IADT’s branch of the Student Neutrality Front (SNF) who preferred to remain anonymous, who explained that workplace walkouts will be taking place across the country on Thursday as part of the “Stand Out For Gaza” initiative.
The campaign, which has been endorsed by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (ISPC) and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), the branch coordinator told us, is in solidarity with workers who are “muzzled” by the Industrial Relations Act of 1990. They explained that this law prevents unions from carrying out labour strikes on issues unrelated to their contracts, such as that of the genocide taking place in Gaza.
Section 8 of the act, which encompasses the vast majority of Irish law on the subject of trade disputes and industrial action, describes the former as “any dispute between employers and workers which is connected with the employment or non-employment [...] of any person.” Under law, there is no explicit right as an employee to take industrial action, though the Industrial Relations Act outlines protections that those who participate in such action are provided, should they be in a trade union. These include immunity from prosecution for carrying out an otherwise legal action as a collective, or encouraging other employees to break their employment contracts. The Unfair Dismissals Act of 1997, relatedly, determined that firing one and not all of the employees that take part in an industrial action, such as only the organisers, in relation to that action would be an unfair dismissal.
Action that is not directly related to their employment, like one related to a broader political issue, is not covered under the Industrial Relations Act, and as such workers who carry out this type of action are not granted the aforementioned protections under the law. “This is anti-democratic legislation,” the SNF coordinator stated.
“Secondly, we are walking out to call attention to Irish universities’ complicity in genocide.” They specifically mentioned Horizon, a European Union funding programme for research and innovation to encourage international collaboration between researchers, which allows participation from legal entities from within the EU and “associated countries,” including Israel. It, according to the SNF, “allow[s] Israeli universities, who actively collude with the [Israeli Defence Forces] to access EU funds.”
The Student Neutrality Front was founded in June 2025 following Trinity College Dublin’s board voting to fully divest from Israeli institutions in the wake of their on-campus pro-Palestine encampment the previous year. The coordinator we spoke to from the IADT branch described the SNF as a student-run, left-wing, grassroots organisation. “We have been building coalitions amongst student and academic bodies in Dublin universities [and are] building a branch in IADT.”
SNF Logo. Source: Student Neutrality Front
Students’ unions and trade unions are among those slated to be joining pro-Palestine groups in walking out of their workplaces on Thursday 16th, with the SNF calling for students to participate to protest “Irish complicity in genocide” as well as to meet other people with similar views. “Our TD’s have shown themselves to be [...] more than willing to let Irish institutions support the crimes of Israel,” they claimed. “Resources meant for Irish institutions are being hijacked for genocide. [...] Taxpayer money, which funds EU research grants, is being manoeveured into the hands of Israeli [institutions] which actively aid and abet the genocide.”
The SNF coordinator mentioned that they are in the process of contacting college representatives regarding the action, but that the Students’ Union has confirmed their support for the walkout. Announcements of the action have been posted to IADT Students’ Union social channels as well as their Whatsapp groups. The coordinator added: “generally, faculty in IADT support student action for worthy causes.” In 2024, lecturers were instructed from higher-ups to offer leniency to any students who participated in that October’s AMLÉ-organised student walkout following a request from the Students’ Union President, though it’s unclear at time of writing if a similar request has been made for this protest.
When asked why students should miss class to participate on October 16th, the Student Neutrality Front’s spokesperson gave their perspective following the recent announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza: “The ceasefire [...] isn’t likely to hold. Even if it does, the genocide continues, both in Gaza and the West Bank,” they said. “The Israeli apartheid system has been systematically murdering Palestinians, illegally evicting them from their land, since the 1940s. This isn’t the first bout of bloody violence, and it won’t be the last.”
Students’ Union Poster for October 16th’s Walkout. Source: IADTSU
Participants are expected to meet outside Róisín Hogan house on campus at 1pm on Thursday for speeches and collection of donations before heading to University College Dublin to join a larger group, according to the President of the Students’ Union.
